The Value of Notes
A zillion years ago, I went to one of the very first "whole novel" workshops sponsored by the HIGHLIGHTS FOUNDATION. Carolyn Coman led the entire thing, with help from her husband
The workshop was SEEING INTO YOUR STORY.
I have an entire legal pad filled with notes.
Obviously, my story needed a whole lot of seeing into.
But some of the notes reflect exactly the same things my now editor, Andrea Pinkney, told me when I began revising THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY.
Which, by the way, was what I worked on during that long weekend in Honesdale with Carolyn.
Back when I barely had a rough draft.
The title was SIXTEEN RULES FOR LIVING AT THE REST EASY.
And the main character's name was Shelton. (now Theo)
And his uncle's name was Chester. (now Raymond)
I had no clue what the time period was though I thought it was the present.
Nope.
The baseball player the kids loved was Mickey Mantle. (now Henry Aaron)
Don't even ask.
Some of the advice Carolyn gave me.
1. Make a bigger deal of the piano scenes.
2. Shelton doesn't have to be quite as sad if his parents died a long time ago and he's been living in a happy situation ever since.
Some of the excellent, quick tips I wrote, filling my entire legal pad.
1. If possible, have characters already knowing each other. Introductions are difficult.
2. Re: PACING. Err on the side of brevity. You can always add. But your potential editor or agent may get bogged down.
Some of the exercises we did (the ones I liked. I'm not crazy about all writing exercises...):
Who were the voices that made you laugh in your childhood, or in the present?
What were some of the expressions you grew up with? * (see below for answers)
I wonder how many of my writer friends have attended a Highlights Foundation Workshop?
Did you learn as much as I did?
Here we are in our class photo. All those years ago.
The beginning of a great journey that thankfully turned into a book.
Coming, January 2015.
Answer to *
1. Hotter than a depot stove.
2. That ole' peckerwood. (My childhood word's meaning is totally not what some of the current slang dictionaries say it means...)
3. If you don't behave, I'm getting a switch off that switch tree.
I wasn't blogging back in those days, but you can read about some of my Highlights writer friends HERE.
The workshop was SEEING INTO YOUR STORY.
I have an entire legal pad filled with notes.
Obviously, my story needed a whole lot of seeing into.
But some of the notes reflect exactly the same things my now editor, Andrea Pinkney, told me when I began revising THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY.
Which, by the way, was what I worked on during that long weekend in Honesdale with Carolyn.
Back when I barely had a rough draft.
The title was SIXTEEN RULES FOR LIVING AT THE REST EASY.
And the main character's name was Shelton. (now Theo)
And his uncle's name was Chester. (now Raymond)
I had no clue what the time period was though I thought it was the present.
Nope.
The baseball player the kids loved was Mickey Mantle. (now Henry Aaron)
Don't even ask.
Some of the advice Carolyn gave me.
1. Make a bigger deal of the piano scenes.
2. Shelton doesn't have to be quite as sad if his parents died a long time ago and he's been living in a happy situation ever since.
Some of the excellent, quick tips I wrote, filling my entire legal pad.
1. If possible, have characters already knowing each other. Introductions are difficult.
2. Re: PACING. Err on the side of brevity. You can always add. But your potential editor or agent may get bogged down.
Some of the exercises we did (the ones I liked. I'm not crazy about all writing exercises...):
Who were the voices that made you laugh in your childhood, or in the present?
What were some of the expressions you grew up with? * (see below for answers)
I wonder how many of my writer friends have attended a Highlights Foundation Workshop?
Did you learn as much as I did?
Here we are in our class photo. All those years ago.
The beginning of a great journey that thankfully turned into a book.
Coming, January 2015.
Answer to *
1. Hotter than a depot stove.
2. That ole' peckerwood. (My childhood word's meaning is totally not what some of the current slang dictionaries say it means...)
3. If you don't behave, I'm getting a switch off that switch tree.
I wasn't blogging back in those days, but you can read about some of my Highlights writer friends HERE.
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